BLACKBIRD PUB | interior design

McKinley Burkart designed award-winning restaurant interiors for local pub, Blackbird, inspired by British pubs and community.

BLACKBIRD PUB

interior design

Blackbird pub was destined to become a community staple. TMAC Restaurant Group had a singular mission to create a true neighbourhood pub. With this mandate front of mind, we designed a bar that would appeal to the suburban market in the same way that it would to a downtown market. With an aligned vision with our clients, Blackbird Pub was conceptualized as the antidote to the chains that tend to dominate suburban neighbourhoods. This particular neighbourhood longed for a place that would generate buzz and that would inject the community with vibrancy and identity, so that’s what we gave them.

We prescribed an antidote for the ordinary. 

For this addition to our client’s restaurant portfolio, we imagined a new identity for our Blackbird: one rooted in a tactile realness rather than kitsch and pun so often associated with pubs in North America.

We wanted to leave space in the shelves for them to get filled over time. In true pub fashion, we designed the space to evolve and change over the years and take on a personality of its own.

“We found ways to balance the masculinity of the pub by incorporating contrasting elements throughout the space. The washrooms, the art... there are feminine touches throughout to soften and play off the dark and moody vibe.” 